Pro-environmental spendings and the environment in the activities of local government. Case study of regions in Poland
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15584/nsawg.2026.1.5Keywords:
sustainable development, ecology, pro-environmental spending, region, environment, regions, synthetic measureAbstract
Economic activities contribute to environmental degradation, which underscores the importance of sustainable development in supporting regional development from an environmental perspective. Pro-environmental spending constitutes a key instrument of public policy, as it enables the reduction of anthropogenic pressure, the improvement of residents’ quality of life, and the strengthening of regional development resilience. The aim of this article is to assess the level of pro-environmental expenditures and the state of the environment in the regions of Poland based on data from the periods 2010–2012 and 2020–2022. The study employs the CRITIC–TOPSIS method for linear ordering, which revealed a growing, albeit still weak, relationship between pro-environmental spending and the state of the environment. The level of pro-environmental spending across Polish regions is clearly spatially differentiated, with highly industrialized regions, such as Śląskie, Dolnośląskie, and Małopolskie, demonstrating higher levels of expenditures, often of a compensatory nature in response to historical environmental burdens. Nevertheless, a high level of spending does not unambiguously translate into a better environmental condition, which highlights the importance of natural and economic factors in shaping ecological quality. Regions with favorable natural conditions, such as Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Pomorskie, and Podkarpackie, achieve high environmental indicators with relatively low levels of spending. Consequently, effective environmental protection requires a differentiated, regionally tailored approach that combines adequate financing with local strategies for transformation toward a green economy.
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